A GROUP of 118 midwives at Fairfield Hospital have signed a petition opposing plans to axe Bury's maternity unit.

In the strongly worded statement they say the move would put lives at risk.

Health bosses are holding a public consultation over proposals to close inpatient paediatric and maternity services, along with the special care baby units (SCBU) at Fairfield and Rochdale.

But campaigners believe the plans would result in a huge gap in service provision in the area, as mothers and children would have to travel to either North Manchester or Oldham.

In their petition, the midwives argue that travelling to another hospital would endanger the lives of both mother and baby, and would make it difficult for families to visit babies being treated in the SCBU.

They are also concerned about the future of long-serving and highly-skilled midwives who would not be able to travel to work at another hospital.

Campaigner Sharron Entwistle, a trustee of the Fairfield Baby Lifeline Society and mother-of-three, said: "We are really pleased that 118 of the 120 midwives at Fairfield have done this.

"We already knew they didn't want the services removed, but to issue a statement like this is great for the campaign.

"These are the people who are in there, doing the work, and we hope this petition will make the powers that be sit up and take notice."

The petition has been sent to a number of people, including the head of the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority (SHA), Bury Council, and Bury MPs David Chaytor and Ivan Lewis. The midwives hope the Making it Better proposals will be changed to include keeping a department at either Fairfield or Rochdale.

A spokesperson for the SHA said: "We are getting a massive response to the consultation and receive more than 1,000 letters each day.

"We now have more than 25,000 responses altogether, and they will all be passed to the Children's Network, which acts on behalf of the Primary Care Trusts to make the final decision.

"This petition will be added to the other letters and analysed when the consultation finishes."

The proposals undergoing formal public consultation will see Fairfield Hospital lose its maternity department, with mothers no longer able to give birth in their home town unless they opt for a home birth.

Instead, they will have to travel at least nine miles to reach the nearest hospital with suitable facilities.

Health bosses claim the changes are necessary to prevent wards across Greater Manchester having to close unexpectedly due to staff shortages and to give doctors the chance to specialise their skills by treating more patients in a fewer number of units.

The preferred option is to centralise units at eight sites: North Manchester, Tameside, Wigan, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Wythenshawe and St Mary's hospitals.

The formal consultation has been extended until May 12 and a decision is expected to be made in the summer.